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Originally developed by developer A. Alfred Taubman, Briarwood opened on October 3, 1973. At the time, it was anchored by JCPenney and Sears, with Hudson's opening a year later.[2] A Lord & Taylor wing was added in 1978. The store closed in 1993 and became Jacobson's, which relocated from its flagship store in downtown Ann Arbor.[3] After Jacobson's went out of business in 2002, its location became the first Von Maur store in the state of Michigan in September 2003.[4]

Taubman's shopping center interests became a publicly traded real estate investment trust, Taubman Centers, in 1992. In 1998 Taubman Centers simplified its corporate structure and turned over full ownership to its financial partner, the GM Pension Trusts. Jacobson's would close in 2002 after the chain declared bankruptcy. The mall received a major renovation the following year.[5] Taubman continued to manage the mall until 2004, when The Mills Corporation became 50 percent owner and manager.

Mall entrance to Von Maur.

In 2007, Simon Properties gained control of the Mills. It is Simon's very first managed property in the state of Michigan.

Briarwood Mall was home to a movie theater at its grand opening, originally run as "United Artists Briarwood." After the closure of many of United Artists' theaters in the late 1990s, the theater was operated as "Madstone Theater of Ann Arbor", "Village 7 Theaters", and "Movies at Briarwood." The theater was later reduced to four screens, as the other three screens were taken over by a new Pottery Barn.[6]

The theaters closed again in 2010, with an MC Sports replacing them.[7][8] Briarwood received a major renovation in 2013 with new flooring,new lighting and redesigning the mall entrances. Renovations also included the addition of a skating rink, LED lighting, and improved mall seating and bathrooms.[9] In August 2014, Forever 21 opened a newer, larger store in the J. C. Penney wing, replacing space that was formerly occupied by Payless ShoeSource, Zales Jewelers, Icing by Claire's, a salon, and a vacant Arby's.[10]